The pain and happiness of life
by Vie LaRose15
Summary: Life is a game of chance,unpredictable. Sometimes you loose, others you win. A meeting between two people will become a catalyst to a great change in their lives and the lives of the people around them. Warning:AU,Shounen-ai, Yullen
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Dgrayman.**

**Beta:** Danacyrus

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The city of Paris was a place that enthralled everyone who visited it. The motive behind this wasn't the buildings and the streets nor the river and Eiffel Tower. It was the magic that seemed to exist. The atmosphere created by each and every little thing.

That was why twenty-one year old Allen Walker -recent university graduate with a degree in literature and a good grasp on the French language- had jumped at the opportunity to move there.

Without rational thought, he had canceled the lease on his apartment in London, packed his bags and had embarked on what appeared to be the experience of a lifetime -an adventure.

He couldn't have been more wrong. True enough, the city was as reputed, mystical and beautiful but nothing turned out as well as he had imagined that it would. He didn't have an apartment and the process of finding job in his field of study seemed more hopeless by the day. A month into this "adventure" the majority of his savings had been depleted and he was nowhere near finding a job in which resembled the one he had set out to do, which was to work as an editor.

Disappointed, he had made up his mind to find some employment, no matter what kind, just to pay the bills. He'd come to the realization that he needed to leave the hotel he was staying at. He was paying far more for a room then he could afford at the time.

The day had begun in a less than ideal manner. His alarm clock hadn't worked and he had been late for his interview. He hadn't been on his game recently, so he very much doubted that they would even consider him for the job. What was even worse, he had noticed that his account had almost been drained. At most he could only pay the hotel for three more days.

Allen had been walking around, contemplating the thought that this could have been the biggest mistake of his life when it begun to rain. As if the day wasn't bad enough already! Trying to avoid getting wet he opted for a nearby coffee shop.

It was fairly large, with many wooden tables, a bar and an empty area which, he supposed, may be a dance floor. The dominant element was wood, a dark shade of wood, that gave the place a warm feel. There were also a couple of doors in the background, toilets and the kitchen probably.

He sat down near the door. The windows where large, permitting a nice view of the street but there wasn't much to see. Only the stone surface of the pavement and the walls of the surrounding buildings. The rain had gotten heavier.

Allen turned his attention towards the people inside the shop. Aside from him there were three other customers, an elderly couple and a young man, with red hair who was working on his laptop. Next he let his eyes drift to the bartender, a man of Asian decent in his early thirties. He had black hair that reached the level of his chin and he wore glasses. He was smiling kindly as he worked.

Then he saw the waiter, coming towards him. He was also a man of Asian origin, elegantly dressed in simple black trousers and a white collared shirt. His posture was perfect and he seemed fit. His hair was black but there was a bluish shade in it as well. He had a fringe with bangs framing his face while the rest was tied back in a long ponytail. He was definitely a striking figure.

"What would you like?"

Allen was almost startled when he heard him speak. He had a silken voice and a deep dark gaze.

"Sir! Would you like to order?" there was a note of annoyance in the waiter's voice.

Allen noticed a scowl appear on his face. He felt a little embraced as he realized he had been staring at the man for some time now.

"E-em, a coffee please," he stuttered a little.

"Do you have a particular preference? What kind of coffee would you like?" the waiter asked and it seemed to Allen that he was willing himself not to grind his teeth.

_What is his problem?_

"French, a French coffee will be fine thank you," Allen said with a smile, trying not to pay too much attention to the gorgeous man in front of him.

"Che… Fine," the waiter said as he turned and walked to the bar.

_What the…?_

"Komui! French coffee!" the waiter said in a somewhat loud voice to the bartender.

"Kanda!" the man named Komui protested, "How many times have I told you to be more polite?"

"Then find a waiter! This is not my job and you know it!" Kanda mouthed off, which made the older man scowl a little.

Due to the few people present and the lack of much noise, Allen, who sat relatively near them, heard everything. He was no fool -he knew an opportunity when he saw one. So, he stood up and approached the counter.

"Excuse me?"

"What?!" Kanda, who had his back to him up until that moment, turned around looking irritated.

"Kanda -He is a customer," Komui reprimanded him again. Kanda simply turned, ignoring everyone and storming out one of the back doors of the café.

Komui smiled "Please forgive Kanda, he is not in the best of moods today. How can I help you?"

"I am sorry, I happened to hear what you said and…are you looking for a waiter?" he said almost timidly.

"Indeed we are. The last one quit quite abruptly and we haven't found anyone yet. Why? Would you be interested?"

"Yes indeed!" Allen replied with some enthusiasm. Maybe this day wasn't so bad after all.

"I see… Do you have any experience?" Komui enquired.

"Some but not much, back in England I…"

The older man interrupted him, "Well some is better than none! I'm certain things will work out."

Allen couldn't help but smile and feel a sense of relief. He'd found a job, it wasn't his dream job but it was a job none the less. Not to mention he liked the place and Komui seemed quite enthusiastic and open-hearted.

Perhaps the day wasn't so bad after all.

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**A/N: I will update only if you want me to so please leave a review. This is my first fic and I need advice on how to better my writing. Also, help me decide other pairings.  


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	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Dgrayman.**

**Beta:** Danacyrus

**Thanks to all the people who reviewed this story. I hope you will like this chapter as well. ****Do let me know if you have any suggestions or questions. I am looking forward to hearing your comments. I apologize for the shortness of this chapter. Enjoy!

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"You did what?"

Komui cringed a little from the volume of Kanda's voice.

"I hired that white-haired kid as a waiter," he explained in a serene manner wiping a glass he had just washed. The blue-haired man was standing opposite him, at the other side of the counter.

"Why would you hire such a…bean-sprout for a waiter?"Kanda demanded, but managed to restrain himself from slamming his hand on the wooden surface.

Komui let out a soft sigh. This young man had a very troubling attitude but he was good in his work. Despite his demeanor, he really had tried to help when the waiter problem had presented itself, even if that wasn't such a success.

"Well, it's not that I do not appreciate your help but I couldn't afford not to hire him. I mean you don't have the best manner in handling people, especially clients," the older man explained, maintaining his calm disposition.

"Yu! Refill!"

A voice was heard from the background. Halting the conversation, he momentarily turned his attention to a man with a laptop sitting nearby. He had a radiant smile on his face and he was happily waving his right hand.

He seemed to be approximately in Kanda's age, if not a couple of years older. His hair was dark red, short and a bit untidy. His clothes were simple, jeans and a black shirt. His most striking characteristic were his eyes, two emerald pools.

"Shut up baka-usagi! We are talking over here," the Japanese man yelled at the redhead.

Komui couldn't help but sigh once again, "See what I mean?"

The redhead, unfazed by Kanda's behavior, left his seat and walked towards the two men. Once he had reached them he happily put his arm around the Japanese man's shoulders.

"What are you talking about?" he inquired, the smile never leaving his face.

"Che! Do what you want. It's not like I wanted this job. Just keep him out of my way!"

Komui couldn't help but smile as the ill-tempered Kanda turned and went back inside the kitchen. He knew that he was a good person, a little difficult to handle at times and very irritable but he always did his best in his job.

The door opened and a young woman came in, closing her umbrella, a steady stream of water droplets cascading to the floor. She was also of Chinese descent, with long silky black hair and dark blue eyes. She had a fine body and was only a little shorter than Komui. Dressed with simple black pants and a multicolored top her hair was in a ponytail and dripping slightly from what had seemed to become torrential rain.

"Nii-san!" she said with a radiant smile.

For an instant Komui was stunned.

"LENALEE!" he yelled as he left his place behind the bench as fast as he could and embraced her.

"Please let go nii-san, you are embarrassing me," she said and as a faint shade of pink tinged her cheeks.

"How awful! How can you be so cruel to your brother?" he said in mock-tears as he let go.

"Hello Lavi," Lenalee greeted the red-head man as she approached the counter and stood beside him.

"Hey Lenalee!" he returned the greeting.

"So, why was Kanda yelling again?" she inquired as Komui came back to his place and resumed wiping the glasses.

"Oh, you heard that? It seems that your brother hired a new waiter in attempt to keep Yu from scaring all the customers out," Lavi explained.

"He was in a bad mood again?"

"Yep."

"Well Kanda has a lot on his mind so it can't be helped that he is a little irritable," Komui chimed in.

"Honestly, have you ever seen him not being irritable?" the red-head asked, "I have started to believe that's just who he is."

"I really hope you are not talking about me baka-usagi!" a menacing voice came from behind Lavi.

Komui was stifling a laugh.

"EH! Hehehe, I just remembered I have to go," Lavi muttered as he sped to his table to gather his laptop and leave money for his order.

"Bye!" the red-head called as he went out the door, with Kanda eyeing him carefully. The two siblings couldn't help but laugh with his antics.

"So who is the new guy?" Lenalee asked her brother once Lavi had left.

"He will start tomorrow so you will be able to meet him then," he assured her, "Now, tell me how class was, Kanda will make you something to eat."

He threw a glance at the man, who surprisingly enough, given his attitude up until now, only nodded in accordance.

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~~~TBC~~~

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	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I do not own -man.

**Beta: **Danacyrus

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**Chapter 3**

Next day, Allen went to the small store just nine as they had agreed.

Komui was positioned at his usual place, looking up when the younger man came in. "Allen, there you are! Good morning," he said with a smile.

"Morning, I'm not late am I?," he asked nervously.

"No, no, don't worry. We don't usually get our first customers for at least an hour or so, which will give me enough time to inform you of your duties."

"Komui where is th-…"

"Ah! Kanda, come here and let me introduce you to the newest staff member. Allen this is Kanda Yu, our chef."

"Nice to meet you"

"Hn."

"Right," he said quietly, with a thoughtful look on his face, "Don't mind Kanda; he is not very good with people. Anyway! Let me give you a quick tour of the establishment."

Returning to his happy demeanor he went on to introducing the newest employee to his new working environment.

**A few hours later…**

"Nii-san!" Lenalee said happily as she entered the cafe.

"Lenalee!"

Komui dropped what he was doing to come out and greet his sister with a hug. She didnt resist but only allowed him a brief embrace before pushing him away.

"So is the new guy here?" she asked as she straightened out the non-existant wrinkles of her clothes.

"Yes, he's over there," Komui made a nod with his head, indicating the tables in the back end of cafe.

Lenalee's eyes scanned the area and landed upon the young man serving coffee to two middle-aged women, laughing happily at him. The first thing she noticed was his radiant smile and his unusual hair color.

"He looks cute," she said.

"What! Lenalee don't tell me you are falling in love with him!"

"Don't be absurd nii-san, he just looks like a nice guy."

"Hm," Komui eyed her with suspicion.

"Well? Will you introduce us?"

Reluctantly the Chinese man turned to the white haired server, "Allen, over here please."

The young man quickly complied, reaching the siblings with an inquisitive look on his face.

"Allen this is Lenalee Lee, my sister," Komui motioned to the girl, "Lenalee, this is Allen Walker, our new server."

"Hi Allen, nice to meet you," She said extending her hand.

The white-haired man took it with a smile, "The pleasure is mine."

They both let go at the same time and the girl turned to her brother.

"Shall we get going then? "

"What? "

"Oh nii-san, surely you haven't forgotten."

But Komui's blank expression just confirmed his ignorance.

"You promised to come with me to do some shopping," the dark haired girl explained.

"Oh, that's right, I did. Well then, of course I cant let my cute sister down." Komui said happily before turning to Allen, "I am sorry Allen but family comes first."

"I understand." he nodded with a smile.

"As far as I can see you have no difficulty being left without supervision, you have handled yourself pretty well and you can always ask Kanda for help should you need it," Komui said in a reassuring tone.

Allen's face fell at the mention of his co-worker. The Japanese man had made him feel less than welcome ever since he had stepped his foot in the shop. Not to mention that whenever he saw him he always wore a dissatisfied expression. Allen wondered how it could be that the man had taken such an immediate dislike to him. In turn he very much doubted Kanda's willingness to help him.

Some of his thoughts must have shown on his face because Komui suddenly said, "Oh don't worry, he is a difficult man to be sure but he is not a bad one. He simply can't communicate well with people. I will go get him to help you out since he must not be particularly busy."

Before Allen could utter one word, he had already reached the kitchen door.

That was how Allen had been left alone with Kanda to run the shop.

The Japanese man had agreed to help the newest staff member, albeit grudgingly and had taken over Komui's post as the bartender as long as he had no orders to tend to.

Allen had been tense ever since, making mistakes that he knew he wouldn't if it hadn't been for the other man's harsh gaze following him.

Eventually, the day came to an end and the last few customers took their time, strolling out of the café. Despite his fatigue, Allen led them to the door and bid them goodbye. Upon closing the door, he let out a long sigh.

_This was definitely a long day but it went rather well._

He smiled to himself. The cafe was nice, Komui had made him feel welcome and his sister seemed like a nice person as well.

_Yes, things should work out._

Allen's thoughts were interrupted by Kanda yelling, "Oi! Bean-sprout!"

The white-haired waiter could practically feel a vein popping out on his forehead. For some reason his co-worker had felt it appropriate to give him that nickname and had been using it actively throughout the evening.

"I told you not to call me that!" the younger man protested once again, shaking his fist at him.

"Che… Whatever. Bring those glasses." Kanda motioned to the recently vacated table.

Calming himself down, Allen nodded as he went to take his tray and gather, said glasses.

"I know what my duties are thank you very much! I do not need you to remind me to do my job!" he muttered under his breath.

"What was that? Did you say anything?" the blue-haired man enquired.

"No, nothing."

_What is his problem anyway? I mean Komui says he is not much of a people person, but I can't understand why that is. I mean, it is almost a pity that he seems to have such a horrid personality, what with him being so handsome and all...WAIT! Did I just think that? Tell me I didn't just think that! Where did that come from?_

Allen glanced at Kanda, who stood behind the bar and seemed to diligently clean the used glasses.

_I mean, sure, his face is beautiful and his body is fit and his hair is all silky. Now that I do think about it, he is good looking…_

Upon his realization, Allen felt his cheeks burn, the blood rushing to his face, his cheeks changing to a shade of dark red.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~TBC~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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**A/N: **I know it is not my best work because I had to work through a gigantic writer's block. I need all encouragement I can get so please review.

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	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I don't own dgrayman.

**A/N**: Real life really had me running around like crazy and only now, that things seem to have temporarily settled, I had the opportunity to write. I would really like to thank the people who took the time to review. Though it is not much, I dedicate this chapter to you guys for encouraging me to continue this story. So many thanks to **akinos****, ****Black Alice Butterfly****, ****AnimeCrazed121****, ****Animeloverx175**! Hopefully chapter 5 will not be too far behind ^^

Please don't forget to review. Any comments or suggestions are very appreciated by me and my muse.

Many thanks to my very diligent beta, **Danacyrus****.

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**oOo**

For the first time since his arrival, Allen felt at ease. He had found a job he liked; surrounded by pleasant people, and had grown accustomed to the rhythm of his new life. In the few days he had been working in the café he had gotten to know his employer and his sister better, along with Lavi, customer and friend of the siblings.

Komui could at times be a little overwhelming, but he was a patient man, and very tolerant. He was profoundly caring of his sister and when it came to protecting her, completely paranoid.

Lenalee was a charismatic young woman –a student at a local university, majoring in theater - who most of the time seemed more mature than her older brother.

Allen had learned (mostly from Lavi) that the siblings were of Chinese origin but had spent most of their lives in Japan, before coming to France. Therefore explaining their frequent use of honorifics. Apparently, that' s also where they met Kanda and the three of them had been friends ever since.

The informant himself, Lavi, was one of the regular customers. He was a very open person, very talkative, humorous and easy to get along with. He worked as a web designer and animator, proclaiming that he was a devout worshipper of anime. He had mixed blood, a French mother, and an English Father. He did all his work on his laptop, which effectively allowed him to work wherever he liked. As a result, he spent a lot of time in the café, which was relatively close to is home.

But still, despite the fact that Allen managed to get along with everyone else well, Kanda was still as cold as ice –obviously not a people person, a well established fact. What puzzled Allen the most was that he seemed to get along with Komui, Lenalee and despite his teasing, even Lavi. But when it came to Allen, Kanda seemed to either avoid him, or completely disregard him. It appeared that for some obscure reason, he just hated him, but Allen didn't have the slightest clue as to why that was.

**oOo**

Allen became aware of having zoned out as he felt a pinch on his forearm.

"Ouch!" he yelped.

"Well Allen, that's what you get for not focusing when a woman is talking to you," Lavi said happily before he too yelped in pain.

"Hey! Why did you do that?" he asked in annoyance.

Lenalee shrugged, with a smile, "You weren't paying attention either."

"Yes I was!" he said in mock protest. "You were saying that Komui's birthday is tomorrow and you want us to help you organize the party."

"Correct," the dark haired girl nodded.

"See, there was no need for you to pinch me."

Lenalee just shrugged and smiled.

They were all at the bar. Allen was at the inside, arranging some glasses while the others were sitting at the other side, leaning towards him, as if brewing a terrible conspiracy.

Komui had stepped out for a little to pay some bills and since there were no customers Lenalee had grabbed the opportunity to talk to them about her plan.

The door to the kitchen opened and Kanda stepped in, looking at the trio with a frown.

"Yu!" Lavi exclaimed upon seeing him.

Lenalee turned to look at him, "Kanda, excellent timing, come here, we have to organize for tomorrow."

Allen half expected him to turn around and walk back out of the room, but to his immense surprise the man did as he was told and came to stand by the girl's side.

"Ok! Lavi, you will take care of the music and the drinks!"

"Yes ma'am!" he saluted military style. That earned him a slap on the head by Kanda.

"Everybody is mean to me today," he whined, eyes wide and brimming with fake tears.

The girl and Allen snickered at his antics. Lenalee cleared her throat, "Good. Kanda will take care of the food and Allen will help him decorate while I keep my brother away from the house."

"But-" Allen wanted to protest, but he was quickly cut off. He really wasn't in a mood to spend more time with the man. Why couldn't he help Lavi?

"No buts!" Lenalee said looking straight in his eyes before turning to look at Kanda who also seemed about to protest. "Are we clear?"

The dark haired man shrugged. "Che. Fine."

Allen blinked in surprise. Lenalee could really be a force to reckon with when she wanted, but never would Allen have suspected that she could make Kanda do things he didn't want to do. Just as it was a mystery to him how everyone called the Japanese man by his last name while Lavi got away –most of the time –with calling him by his given one.

"Excellent!" the girl exclaimed, clapping her hands happily. "Tomorrow, I will come by at six and pick up Komui. When we leave you will close the store early and head home. Kanda has the keys. You will get everything ready while Lavi gets with the drinks, then he'll set up the music. The guests will start arriving around nine. This should give you enough time to get everything ready. Brother and I will be back by nine thirty."

"Don't worry Lenalee, everything will be perfect!" Lavi reassured her, smiling as always.

Allen nodded, trying to imitate the read-head but his gaze was drawn to Kanda and his stoic posture.

Oh well, how bad could it be. Lavi would also be there. It wasn't as if he would spend three hours alone with the man in the siblings apartment.

_Relax! What are you so __worried about? What could go wrong?_

But even reassuring himself did not undo the knot that had suddenly appeared in his stomach.

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**oOo****TBCoOo**


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